Hello, my hair is dark brown which is graying all over but mainly on my temples. I love the platinum look and I want to dye it. This is what I want to use and I need to know how to use it properly without breakage. The product is blue azul kaleidocolors by clairol and the pure white standard lift #20 with added conditioners. I used it numerous times but now that I am living in riyadh, saudi arabia the water here is very harsh.

Any suggestions please?

Can you get distilled or deionized water?

I should be able to find some out here. Why?

You mentioned that the water is very harsh. If the water is bad, distilled or deionized water will work much better and will leave no residue on the hair.

Kaleidocolors is a single-step bleach. You should not overlap it onto already-bleached hair. Other than that, it should work fine, especially since you've used it before so you should be fairly sure of the results. If you haven't used it for some time, I would suggest that you strand-test (lay a strand from your head onto a piece of aluminum foil. Mix the bleach with developer and apply it to the strand. Let it process and wash it out to see if it gets the color you want. You don't have to clip the strand from your head).

Okay, I'm on my way, but I have another question. When I colored my hair in the past I let it stay on for about 1 hour because the suggested times never worked for me. My hair is coarse and curly. Was I over doing it?

If this timing is okay then what can I use to keep it conditioned and lively looking without it breaking off?

You're using a bleach. Bleaches can be left on up to 90 minutes. After that, you're better off washing it out and reapplying if you need more time. If you leave it on longer than that, damaging side reactions become more prominent. Some people wait for 24 hours before reapplying. While the hair, itself, doesn't benefit from the practice, the scalp certainly does. It's not uncommon for people with very dark hair to require two bleachings to get to a pale yellow.

So, to answer your question directly, your timing is OK.

On the other hand, single-process haircolors (which you are not using) almost always have chemicals in them that stop the action after about 45 minutes so it doesn't make any sense to leave these on longer than that.

One more question and I'll be finished:

Once I accomplish coloring my hair how do I keep it from breaking off? Can you recommend any conditioners or gels?

Hair won't break unless it's sufficiently damaged to break. You will see a few hairs break off after bleaching. That's to be expected, but you shouldn't see major breakage in one area unless you've heavily overlapped. Every some overlap won't necessarily damage your hair enough to cause it to break. It's repeatedly bleaching and bleaching again that really takes a toll on the hair. The idea is to minimize overlap as much as possible.

There's no "magic bullet" that'll fix damaged hair, in spite of many, many claims to the contrary. It is important that you condition bleached or colored hair each time it's shampooed. This makes the hair fibers slide over each other and you don't get breakage from friction. I'm sure there are some differences between conditioners, but they're not major differences.

There are many claims for conditioners, protein reconstructors, for hair restorers and the like. Most of this is advertising hype. There's little or no truth to it. For example, some ads (and stylists) suggest protein products because the hair's made of protein. The idea is that the protein will somehow be incorporated into the hair and make it stronger. Yes, the hair is made of protein, but the protein in those products can't be incorporated into the hair shaft's backbone. There's no chemical reaction that will cause it to attach to the hair. What actually happens is the protein solution coats the hair, makes it thicker and makes it stronger -- stronger, that is, until the next time you wash your hair. That removes the protein coat.

I'm not saying that these products have no value. Strengthening the hair does work, but one has to recognize it as a temporary (cosmetic) fix. If you continue to use the product, it can keep the hair from breaking.

Well, perito you have answered all of my questions. I am now ready to go platinum. Your advice has given me confidence to "know what i am doing" this time around. Thank you so much for your professional advice.

Don't forget the strand test!

Oops!! Forgot something I think is important:

Can I sit under a dryer during this coloring process to speed up the bleaching to make it whitier?

You can, if you wish. However, it may not be a good idea.

Salons always put people under the drier to speed up the reaction. Unfortunately, if you're trying to be gentle on the hair, this isn't a good idea. Heat also speeds up some damaging side reactions. As you heat the bleach mixture, the side reactions become more prominent compared to the rate of bleaching. In other words, you'll incur some additional damage to your hair.

Also, remember that you want to bleach the hair to the pale yellow stage -- no lighter. If you need it whiter, you should rely on a toner to counteract the residual yellow.

You did say that you've used Kaleidocolors before, and, therefore, you know how light it will take your hair. Right?

Here are some discussion boards that you will undoubtedly find helpful.

Bottle Blondes Board (http://www.network54.com/Forum/503669/)

The Going Blonde Message Board (http://www.network54.com/Forum/127834/)